Impact wear tester



A ril 4, 1967 T. D. AINSLIE 3,312,100

' IMPACT WEAR TESTER Filed June 2, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. THOMAS DOW AINSLIE BY ERIC 1. MUNSON diiorr g/ 2 SheetsSheet 2 INVENTOR THOMAS Dow AlNsLIE BY ERIC y. mmsow April 4, 1967 T. D. AINSLIE IMPACT WEAR TESTER Filed June a, 1964 United States Patent Office 3 ,3 12,100 Patented Apr. 4, 1967 3,312,100 IMPACT WEAR TESTER Thomas D. Ainslie, Metuchen, N.J., assignor to Phillips- Van Heusen Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Jame 2, 1964, Ser. No. 371,991 2 Claims. (Cl. 73-7) This invention relates to impact testing apparatus and more particularly to a device for determining the characteristics, construction and wearing possibilities of fabric or other sheet material, and is especially useful for testing cuffs, collars or other fabric elements.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device of this character and of relatively simple construction which will hold and rotate pieces of fabric, such as cuffs of shirts etc., and bring such fabric elements into contact with stationary abutments which can, if desired, have abrasive surfaces, thus subjecting the fabric elements to the effects of friction and enabling any deficiencies or Weakness in the fabric, as well as its resistance to wear, to be ascertained.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision of a rotated disk provided with radially-extending adjustable arms, each of said arms carrying a clamp for holding the fabric element. Situated adjacent to the perimeter of the disk and beyond the clamps, is one or more abutments which can, if desired be abrasivelysurfaced. When the disk is rotated, the fabric elements held by the clamps, will be extended by centrifugal force and the fabric elements will be wiped against the abutments as the fabric elements pass such abutments.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an impact wear testing device constructed according to the invention, and

FIG. 2 is atop plan view of the same.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a rotative pulley which is driven by a belt 2a (FIG. 2) from a motor or other power source not shown. The pulley 1 is mounted on a shaft 2 rotative in a bearing 3 provided at the upper end of a post or bracket 4 having its base 5 mounted on a table or other supporting surface.

Also secured on the rotated shaft 2 is a disk 6 constituting the rotor of the device. Mounted radially on one of the faces of the disk 6 are four sleeves 7. The sleeves are arranged in equally spaced positions on the disk. Adjustably axially through each of the sleeves is a bar 8, each of these bars being fixed in its sleeve in any required position of extension by means of set screws 9.

The bars 8 constitute radial arms on the rotor disk 6 and mounted transversely at the outer end of each of these arms is a fabric-holding clamp 10. Each clamp comprises a fixed strip or jaw 11 and a similar movable jaw 12, the two jaws being brought together to clamp a fabric element such as a shirt cuff or collar or other piece, to be tested, between them. Bolts provided with wing nuts 13 are employed to bring the jaws of the clamp together in clamping position.

As the disk 6 is rotated, each clamp carrying a cuff, collar .or other fabric piece, such as indicated at 14 in dotted lines in FIG. 2, will be moved to bring its fabric piece into wiping contact with an abutment 15, that can if desired, be abrasive surfaced, thereby subjecting the fabric to frictional wear and by repeated contact of the fabric with such abrasive element the lasting quality of the fabric under conditions of wear, or the deficiencies of the fabric will be determined. As a result, any shortcomings in the fabric will be determined.

The abutments 15, 15a may consist of a cylindrical rod which can be maintained relatively smooth or it can be covered by an abrasive material 16a such as sandpaper or the like and its roughness or smoothness be determined by the rigidity of the test to which the fabric is to be subjected. The abrasive rod 15 may be mounted in a number of ways. At the right in FIG. 1 the abrasive or other abutment 15 is held by threaded studs 16 which pass through it and enter into lugs 17 which are connected by a cross piece 18, attached to feet 19 which are secured to a suitable support by screws or other fastening elements extended through slots 20 in the feet. This arrangement permits the abrasive rod or abutment to be moved toward or away from the clamps 149 to meet different requirements of spacing between the clamps and the abutment 15, according to the nature and size of the material to be tested and to allow for different extensions of the fabric pieces from the clamps, or for other purposes.

The mounting of the second abutment shown at 15a includes a plate 21 which is adjustable by means of screws 22 entering slots 23 to bring the abutment 15a toward or away from the disk 6 and hence regulate the spacing between the clamps 10 and the rOds 15a. The adjustable plate 21 is mounted on an angle bar 24 secured to an up right 25 that is adjustable along the length of a slot 26 in a horizontal bar 27 which may be provided as a lateral extension of the post 4.

From the foregoing, the operation of the improved testing device will be readily understood.

The cuffs, collars or other pieces of fabric to be tested for wear or flaws in construction, are clamped between the jaws 11 and 12 of the clamps 10, with parts of the pieces to be tested protruding out from between the jaws of the clamps to the required extent. As the disk or rotor is rotated, the parts of the cuffs, collars or other pieces extending out of the clamps will strike and wipe against the bars 15, 15a and subject the pieces to frictional wear to determine the wearing characteristics of the fabric or to show up deficiencies in its construction.

By varying the grade of adhesive sheet material that is applied around the rods 15, 15a, tests of various kinds can be readily made. To keep a record of the number of revolutions made by the rotor during tests, a revolution counter is employed as shown at 30, the same being driven from a counter shaft 31, connected to the counter 30 by a coupling 32. The counter shaft 31 is driven in any suitable manner from the shaft 2, such as by gearing contained in a housing 33, the shaft 2 being the input shaft and the counter shaft 31 being the output shaft for such gearing.

By means of the described apparatus, the Wearing characteristics of fabrics or other sheet materials generally subjected to frictional wear, and to deficiencies in manufacture or weaknesses in the material, can be readily determined. As the disk 6 is rotated, centrifugal force will extend the fabric pieces held by the clamps and the fabric pieces will wipe against the abutments 15, 15a, thus subjecting the pieces to friction, and any loose threads or other deficiencies will be detected. By regulating the distance from the abutments, different areas of the cuffs or other fabric pieces can be made to take the full impact. As herein stated, the abutments 15, 15a can be provided with roughened or abrasive surfaces or these abutments can be smooth to serve only as impact elements.

Having thus described a single embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

1. A fabric testing apparatus comprising, a disk and leans for rotating the same, a plurality of sockets mount- :1 on one face of the disk and extending radially of the trne, a bar fitted in each of the sockets and axially adrstable through the same, clamping means on the sockets )r holding the bars in selected positions of extension out f the sockets, the bars extending beyond the periphery f the disk, a clamp provided at the outer end of each f the bars for holding a piece of fabric to be tested, butrnents in the form of non-rotative rods spaced from 1e ends of the bars and adapted to have their convex peipheries Wipingly contacted by the fabric pieces during he rotation of the disk, each rod having a rough convex urface for contact with the fabric pieces to thereby subact the pieces to frictional Wear as such fabric pieces are noved into Wiping contact with such surfaces When the lisk is rotated.

2. A fabric testing apparatus as provided for in claim References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,350,458 8/1920 Hokanson 737 2,590,839 4/1952 Clapham 737 2,797,574 7/1957 Rusca et a1 737 OTHER REFERENCES Mechanical Walker Tests Shoe Soles Popular Science, Jan. 1936, page 29.

DAVID SCHONBERG, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FABRIC TESTING APPARATUS COMPRISING, A DISK AND MEANS FOR ROTATING THE SAME, A PLURALITY OF SOCKETS MOUNTED ON ONE FACE OF THE DISK AND EXTENDING RADIALLY OF THE SAME, A BAR FITTED IN EACH OF THE SOCKETS AND AXIALLY ADJUSTABLE THROUGH THE SAME, CLAMPING MEANS ON THE SOCKETS FOR HOLDING THE BARS IN SELECTED POSITIONS OF EXTENSION OUT OF THE SOCKETS, THE BARS EXTENDING BEYOND THE PERIPHERY OF THE DISK, A CLAMP PROVIDED AT THE OUTER END OF EACH OF THE BARS FOR HOLDING A PIECE OF FABRIC TO BE TESTED, ABUTMENTS IN THE FORM OF NON-ROTATIVE RODS SPACED FROM THE ENDS OF THE BARS AND ADAPTED TO HAVE THEIR CONVEX PERIPHERIES WIPINGLY CONTACTED BY THE FABRIC PIECES DURING THE ROTATION OF THE DISK, EACH ROD HAVING A ROUGH CONVEX SURFACE FOR CONTACT WITH THE FABRIC PIECES TO THEREBY SUBJECT THE PIECES TO FRICTIONAL WEAR AS SUCH FABRIC PIECES ARE MOVED INTO WIPING CONTACT WITH SUCH SURFACES WHEN THE DISK IS ROTATED. 